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Wedding Attire

Wedding Attire

Wedding Attire

Grooms wear the uniform of the Army, Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard. A groom from the US Marines wears white gloves and carries a saber. If he is from the Navy or Coast guard, he wears a sword. Military men in uniform are adorned with military decorations, and never wear boutonnieres on the uniform. If all of his ushers were in the service, he would probably choose to wear a uniform. If some of his attendants were civilians, the choice would be more difficult because the wedding party would not all be dressed similarly. In this instance the groom usually conforms to what civilians are wearing since it cannot be the other way around.

An officer or enlisted personnel in the bridal party wear uniforms in accordance with the formality of the wedding and seasonal regulations.

For officers, evening dress uniform conforms to civilian white tie and tails. Dinner or mess dress uniform is in accordance with black tie.

In the case of non-commissioned officers, dress blues or dress green uniforms may be worn at formal or informal weddings.

White gloves are a necessity for all saber (sword) bearers. The choice to attend the wedding in uniform as a military guest is optional.

The Bride

A female officer may wear a traditional bridal gown, or she may be married in uniform. A boutonniere is never worn with uniform.

Most brides in military services choose traditional wedding gowns. If she does wear a military uniform, she still holds a bridal bouquet in her hands as she walks down the aisle. The bride stands to the right side of the military groom during the wedding because the sword is worn on the left side.

If the bride will not be in uniform, she should complement the very formal style of the military uniforms by wearing a long, elegant dress with a flowing train and veil (for a second wedding omit the train and veil). Bridesmaids and honor attendants wear equally formal long dresses.

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